There was great action in the NBA on Sunday including yet another record-breaking night for LA Clippers’ point guard Chris Paul who got his 8,000th career assist, another triple-double from Houston Rockets’ James Harden and Cameroonian rookie sensation Joel Embiid led the Sixers past the Nets.
Clippers top Heat
The LA Clippers beat the Miami Heat 98-86. JJ Redick had 25 points and seven rebounds, Chris Paul had a 19-point, 18-rebound double-double, Marreese Speights had 19 points and Cameroonian forward Luc Mbah a Moute finished with six points, one rebound, one steal and a block.
Goran Dragic had 24 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Heat, Hassan Whiteside had a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double, and Tyler Johnson and James Johnson combined for 24 with 12 points apiece.
Embiid show sinks Nets
The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Nets in Brooklyn 105-95. Cameroonian rookie Joel Embiid had 20 points, five rebounds and four assists, Dario Saric had 18 points and five rebounds, and Robert Covington had a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Brook Lopez led the Nets with 26 points, Justin Hamilton had 16 points and five rebounds, while Bojan Bogdanovic finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Bucks fall to Wizards as Giannis misses out
The Milwaukee Bucks were missing the presence of Greek-Nigerian forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and went down to the Washington Wizards 107-101. Bradley Beal had 26 points and four rebounds, Markieff Morris had a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Kelly Oubre Jr finished with 17 points and five rebounds.
Jabari Parker led the Bucks with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Malcolm Brogdon had 22 points and five assists, while Michael Beasley finished with 18 points.
Harden’s triple-double masterclass
The Houston Rockets beat the Toronto Raptors 129-122 on the back of James Harden’s 40-point, 10-rebound and 11-assist triple-double, Montrezl Harrell had 28 points and five rebounds, and Eric Gordon ended the night with 19 points, four rebounds and three assists.
The Raptors were led by DeMar DeRozan who had 36 points, six rebounds and five assists, DeMarre Carroll had 26 points and eight rebounds, and Kyle Lowry finished with 12 points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals.
Lakers beat Magic
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Orlando Magic 111-95. Julius Randle had 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists, D’Angelo Russell had 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Brandon Ingram had 17 points, while South Sudanese forward Luol Deng ended the game with 11 points and three rebounds.
Congolese forward Serge Ibaka led the Magic with a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double, French-Algerian guard Evan Fournier had 19 points and five rebounds, Nikola Vucevic had 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while DRC-born center Bismack Biyombo finished with a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double.
The Rest
In the other Sunday night games, the Golden State Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings 117-106, the Cleveland Cavaliers got the better of the Phoenix Suns 120-116, the Memphis Grizzlies won 88-79 over the Utah Jazz and the Detroit Pistons edged the Portland Trail Blazers 125-124 in double overtime.
By Kaunda Chama
